Opinion
Letters

Letters to the editor

In 2010, the provincial government declared that every Sept. 25 would be la journée des franco-ontariens, a day to celebrate the French language and the more than 1.2-million French speakers in Ontario.

Last year, several Sarnians (including myself) petitioned the city council to install green and white lights – the colours of the Franco-Ontarien flag – at city hall, and to raise the Franco-Ontarian flag permanently in the downtown to honour that day. We donated the flag and the lights to the city, who voted unanimously to proceed with the motion.

More than 800 people attended the raising of Franco-Ontarian flag, including dozens of students from Sarnia’s four French language schools.

Sarnia-Lambton has long been a haven for French-Canadians. Indeed, Sarnia was originally founded by French-Canadian families in the 1800s, and was a waypoint for many voyageur and coureur du bois trading with their aboriginal and First-Nations allies for almost two centuries before that. In Centennial Park in Sarnia, and Waterfront Park in Point Edward, plaques and monuments have been erected to commemorate that history, including the voyages of LaSalle, the founding of Sarnia and the contributions of our French language schools.

The history of Sarnia is a history of French Ontario. On the 150th anniversary of Confederation, the importance of French to our national identity, our history and our future place in an ever-changing world cannot be overstated.

So on Sept. 25, take a moment out of your day to reflect on the green and white flag as it catches the breeze downtown, and maybe even say "Bonjour, comment ça-va?” to your neighbour as you get ready for work or school, just like the Sarnians of old would have done. Or, take a moment to stop by the Centre communautaire francophone on Rapids Parkway.

You may be beginning a linguistic journey that will last a lifetime.

Christopher Ralph

Bourget, Ont.

Recommendations for NAFTA negotiations

If Chrystia Freeland and Justin Trudeau and company want to get anywhere with NAFTA, they need to come in with “clean hands.”

After 200 years, Canada is still very short of giving the First Nations what they need and require.

Perhaps Freeland could spur Trudeau into full action on behalf of Native girls and women. Otherwise it is possible First Nations could get some other nation to negotiate on their behalf – perhaps some land and mineral rights.